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Pastor links rare eclipse to more than coincidence of nature

A rare hybrid solar eclipse is set to take place this weekend, and one pastor believes that such events are not simply coincidences of nature.

Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries says that these types of solar eclipses in the past have been signs, foretelling important events throughout history, such as the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. He points out that the rarity of their occurrence reinforces their symbolism.

“Two happened right in a row at the time of destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. and on feast days,” Biltz told WND.

“Around eight months before the Temple was destroyed we find on 10/18/69 there was a partial lunar eclipse on the Feast of Sukkot. A total solar eclipse followed this on Nisan 1-3/30/70, the beginning of the religious year. Two weeks later there was a penumbral lunar eclipse on Passover on 4/14/70. An annular solar eclipse followed this on Rosh Hashanah on 9/23/70. Then another penumbral lunar eclipse on Sukkot on 10/8/70,” Biltz continued.

“This would be totally unbelievable, if it wasn’t verified by the NASA. But that’s not all. Then there was another partial lunar eclipse on Purim the following year on 3/4/71,” Biltz said.

Biltz said the pattern of eclipses continued to occur on Jewish Holy Days for the next year and, in his opinion, corresponded with significant events in Jewish history.

“A hybrid solar eclipse on Nisan 1 on 3/20/71 followed by another hybrid solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanah on 9/12/71. Talk about signs of astronomical proportions happening on the feast days around the destruction of the Temple,” Biltz said.

Sunday’s early morning event – an annular solar eclipse that changes into a total solar eclipse – will be visible on the eastern coast of North America, although those living in Africa will experience it best. Slooh, the online observatory and robotic telescope service, will broadcast portions of the event online.

In an annular solar eclipse, the moon’s orbit is further from the Earth’s surface, such that it is not big enough to cover the sun completely. As a result, those in the shadow of the eclipse will see the sun appearing as a bright ring surrounding the moon.

But along it’s course, Sunday’s eclipse will become total, completely blocking out the sun and allowing those in its shadow to see stars during the day time. It is this shift from annular to total along its path that makes this a “hybrid” eclipse.

Space.com explains what regions will see either the partial or total eclipse:

Skywatchers in the eastern United States, northeastern South America, southern Europe, the Middle East and most of Africa will be treated to a partial solar eclipse, while people along the path of totality in central Africa will see the sun totally obscured by Earth’s nearest neighbor for a few dramatic moments.

If you live in eastern North America, you’ll have to get up early to enjoy the show. The partial eclipse will be visible at sunrise — about 6:30 a.m. local time — and last for about 45 minutes, experts say. Viewers in Boston and New York will see the sun more than 50 percent covered by the moon, while our star will appear 47 percent obscured from Miami and Washington, D.C.

Live streaming at Slooh.com will begin at 6:45 a.m., Eastern, and last three-and-a-half hours. Telescopes in Gabon, Africa, and the Canary Islands will provide the live feed.

Of the nearly 12,000 solar eclipses that have occurred since 1999 B.C., fewer than 5 percent are hybrid eclipses, reports Universe Today.

Biltz has produced a calendar that will allow individuals to track astronomical developments within a traditional, biblical calendar. He’s also working on a book that will go further into detail about the phenomenon of eclipses, which he terms “blood moons,” occurring on Jewish Holy Days and their significance.

Pastor John Hagee recently was invited by Fox News to discuss the significance of four eclipses – four blood moons coming over the next two years – on the Jewish Passovers on April 15, 2014, and April 4, 2015, and the Feasts of Tabernacles on Oct. 8, 2014, and Sept. 28, 2015.

For example, when it happened in 1493 and 1494, Jews were expelled from Spain. The blood moons in 1949 and 1950 came right after the nation of Israel was born, giving the Jews a homeland for the first time in thousands of years.

And in 1967 and 1968 it was linked to the Six-Day War.

“This is something that just is beyond coincidental,” Hagee told Fox News. He explained that the prophecies in the Bible say that when the sun refuses to shine – a solar eclipse is expected in the 2014-2015 time frame – and the moon turns to blood, man’s redemption is near.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:31)

In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. … And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30)

Acts 2 states: “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”

See Hagee’s interview:

Biltz said: “Not only are there four blood moons on 4/15/14, 10/8/14, 4/4/15, and 9/28/15, but the added significance is that the total solar eclipse on 3/20/15 is on the biblical calendar of Nisan 1.”

He noted Nisan 1 begins the religious New Year, according to the Bible.

“This date was the grand opening of Moses tabernacle in the wilderness. This is the day a great sign came and fire fell to light the burnt offering,” Biltz said.

“So here we have a total solar eclipse beginning the religious year followed two weeks later by a total lunar eclipse/blood moon on Passover followed by the next solar eclipse (partial) on Sept 13th which just so happens to be Rosh Hashanah,” Biltz continued.

The pastor of El-Shaddai Ministries went into great detail about the significant events that have occurred on these dates in history and in scripture.

“According to Judaism this is the day Adam was created and crowned God as King. This is also begins a shemittah year 7th for the land to rest. The last two shemittah years on Rosh Hashanah, there was global economic catastrophe. In 2001, the Dow fell 7 percent. In 2008, the Dow fell 7 percent. In 2015, could this be our third strike and a major collapse of the global economy?” Biltz pondered.

“The eclipse of the sun signals danger to the nations and of the moon danger to Israel, this is then followed by the total lunar eclipse/blood moon on the Feast of Tabernacles. Not only that, according to NASA, this total blood moon on 9/28/15 will be at perigee meaning it will be a super moon and seen in Jerusalem during the feast of sukkot while the Jewish people will be dwelling outside in their sukkahs looking up toward the heavens.

“The odds of this string of events are truly astronomical,” he concluded.

Biltz had been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis, where it states the lights in the sky would be “be for signs, and for seasons.”

“It means a signal, kind of like ‘one if by land, two if by sea.’ It’s like God wants to signal us,” he said. “The Hebrew word implies … not only is it a signal, but it’s a signal for coming or His appearing.”

Biltz counts 6,000 years since the creation of Adam.

“So we are at of the end of the six days ready to enter the seventh day, or the beginning of the 1,000 year millennium rest spoken of in Hebrews and Revelation.”

He affirmed that future events cannot be predicted exactly, but he believes there is a clear link between important historical events and the lunar eclipses.

The message, Biltz believes, is that the messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled 2,000 years ago, when He came the first time, happened to the very day.

Biltz explains he believes the events surrounding the Second Coming also will happen to the very day of the Fall Feasts.